Last time, when I took to social media and asked what recipe I should share, most of you preferred SOUP. Your beloved food ninja is back with another super-tasty pozole recipe. It wasn’t my favourite until my friend in Mexico made me this super-tasty and easy-to-make pozole. Pozole is a feast for non-vegetarians. When I was a novice in cooking, I visited taquerias every weekend until my BESTIE made me the best homemade pozole. If you have not tried homemade pozole yet, you must. Most people hesitate to make pozole since it is time-consuming – Making it took me six hours. However, it was fruitful.
Pozole: An Award-Winning Dish
If you plan to make pozole, I would want to say something:
“ADDICTIVE! TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK.”
Do not get confused. Here, ADDICTIVE refers to the exceptional taste of pozole. With hominy, pork, and red chilli as its key ingredients, pozole is an irresistible part of the rich Mexican culture. I would suggest exploring the streets of Mexico and taquerias on Thursdays, Saturdays and Christmas Eve. Instead of relying on food delivery portals, Mexicans gather and eat pozole. It depicts the rich Mexican culture and how much they value togetherness. Before starting with the recipe, a big THANK YOU to my BESTIE for teaching me to make pozole.
If you’re inviting guests to your home and are unsure of what to serve at the table, opt for pozole. I consider it a signature dish. My MOMMY invited her friends for a kitty party at our home and bestowed on me the responsibility of making pozole. Her friends loved it, and pozole became a show-stealer meal of the day.
Ingredients
- 1 can white hominy
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 pounds pork shoulder
- 4 ounces dried ancho or guajillo chillies
- 8 garlic cloves
- Salt
For Garnish
- ½ cabbage (Shredded)
- ½ white onion
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 bunch radishes
- 2 avocadoes (Chopped)
- 4 limes
- 10-25 tostada shells
Directions to Make Pozole
- Boil 5 quarts of water in a stockpot.
- Discard the stem of the chillies and deseed them.
- Take another cooking pan and dry-roast the chillies until they soften.
- Turn off the flame without removing the chillies.
- Meanwhile, simmer three cups of water. Turn off the flame and add those chillies to the water.
- Place the lid and let the chillies stay undisturbed for up to 25 minutes.
- In a cooking pan, add olive oil and warm it. In warm oil, cook sliced pork until it turns brownish. Since you have taken a large quantity of pork (three pounds), cook it in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- In the same pan, add chopped garlic and stir well for the aroma.
- Place cooked pork, hominy, oregano, cumin, bay leaves and salt in the boiling water and let it simmer.
- Once it simmers, reduce the flame and cook for twenty minutes.
- Till then, prepare the sauce. For it, blend chillies and garlic cloves. Add boiling liquid. Once pureed, strain the sauce and adjust the salt to it.
- Now, place this sauce on the pork and hominy.
- Cover and cook until the pork tenderizes.
- Till the soup simmers, prepare the garnishes. Finely chop cilantro and cabbage.
- Your pozole is ready to enjoy. If made for guests, place the garnishes in a separate bowl. And yes, the soup you serve should be thin. Don’t worry! Once garnished, it will not taste too runny.
Pro Tip
Do not thicken the soup – keep it runny, as later on, you will overload the soup with chopped avocadoes, sliced radish and shredded cabbage.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can we skip pork and make it a vegetarian soup?
Yes! You can. If you are a vegetarian, omit pork and replace it with homemade seitan. Add Mexican oregano, Guajillo and Ancho chillies, and de chile de arbol to make it more succulent.
- Can we store it for later use?
Yes! Refrigerate it for seven days. If you plan to store it for later use, prepare it in bulk and place it in the freezer for four months. Keep the leftovers in a freezer bag. Before serving, lightly warm the soup. However, do not boil it. If stored properly, it remains fresh for five months.
- Can we cook it in a slow cooker?
Yes, you may prepare this recipe in a slow cooker for that extra juiciness.
